Great Buddha Temple Guangzhou

Great Buddha Temple Guangzhou

The Great Buddha Temple in Guangzhou is a cultural relic protection unit of Guangdong Province.

The ancient Great Buddha Temple is located at No. 21 Huixin Middle Street, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou. The temple was first built during the Southern Han Dynasty (917–971 AD) and was called Xin Zang Temple, established by Southern Han King Liu Yan in accordance with the twenty-eight lunar mansions. It was expanded during the Ming Dynasty into Long Zang Temple. Later, as the buildings became dilapidated, it was converted into an imperial censor’s office. In the first year of the Shunzhi reign (1649) of the Qing Dynasty, the office was burned down in a fire. Prince Pingnan Shang Kexi, aiming to facilitate “prayers for the emperor’s longevity and national peace,” investigated the former site of Long Zang Temple. In the spring of the second year of the Kangxi reign, he funded the reconstruction from his own royal salary, and the new halls were completed by the winter of the following year.

The architecture of the ancient Great Buddha Temple follows the style of official temples in the capital, while also incorporating local Lingnan design elements. It holds significant cultural and artistic value. The Mahavira Hall faces south with a width of seven bays and a depth of five bays, covering a construction area of 1,200 square meters, making it the largest of its kind in Lingnan to this day. Its hip-and-gable roof is covered with plain clay tiles, simple tile caps, drip tiles, and decorative ridge ornaments such as clay-carved dragons and peonies. Though weathered by over three hundred years of rain and wind, its original appearance remains largely intact. High-quality timber beams and pillars, donated by the King of Annam (modern-day Vietnam), are still mostly well-preserved. Other structures including the main gate, bell tower, drum tower, Heavenly King Hall, corridors, and the Incense Kitchen all present a serene, solemn, and majestic atmosphere. In the eleventh year of the Yongzheng reign (1733), Guangzhou Prefect Liu Shu, following the emperor’s decree to regulate Buddhism nationwide, chose the Great Buddha Temple as the site for promulgation and erected a Proclamation Pavilion in front of the hall. At the same time, the Veda Hall and Sangharama Hall were built on either side of the main hall, along with the “Buddha Realm” and “Zen Grove” gates on the east and west. The temple’s scale expanded, Buddhist activities flourished, and its reputation spread far and wide, making it one of the Five Great Monasteries of Guangzhou.

The founding abbot of the Great Buddha Temple was granted an imperial title — Master [Name] (Senggangsi Senggang). Other notable monks who served as abbots include Master Yingyuan and the famous poetic monk Master Yexi, also known as Eight-Fingered Monk Yuexi. On August 9, 1993, the Guangzhou Municipal Government designated the Great Buddha Temple as a municipal-level cultural relic protection unit. In 2008, it was listed as part of the fifth batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units by the Guangdong Provincial People’s Government.

Address: No. 21 Huixin Middle Street, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province

Transportation: Take bus routes 3, 10, 66, 101, 104, 106, 183, 190, 541, or B8 in Guangzhou and get off at Dadalu Station.

Longzang Community: Longzang Community…… More information about Longzang Community++

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units